الشواهد الشعرية وأثرها في توجيه المسائل النحوية في كتاب معارف السنن للبنوري

Poetic Evidence and Its Role in Guiding Grammatical Issues in Maʿārif al-Sunan by Yusuf al-Banūrī

Abstract

This study examined the poetic evidence cited by Shaykh Yusuf al-Banūrī in his renowned hadith commentary Maʿārif al-Sunan and investigated its role in guiding grammatical issues related to the interpretation and understanding of Prophetic traditions. The research aimed to identify al-Banūrī’s methodology in employing Arabic poetic citations as linguistic evidence for explaining grammatical rules, clarifying syntactic constructions, and determining intended meanings in hadith texts. To achieve these objectives, the study adopted a descriptive-analytical methodology based on tracing the poetic citations contained in Maʿārif al-Sunan, classifying them according to their grammatical functions, and analyzing their significance within the context of hadith interpretation. The analysis also explored the relationship between poetic evidence, grammatical reasoning, and juristic understanding. The findings revealed that poetic evidence occupied a central position in al-Banūrī’s interpretive approach and served as a reliable linguistic authority for resolving grammatical ambiguities and supporting syntactic analysis. The study demonstrated that al-Banūrī effectively utilised authentic Arabic poetry to strengthen grammatical arguments, explain linguistic structures, and establish precise meanings in Prophetic traditions. Furthermore, the findings indicated that these poetic citations contributed not only to linguistic clarification but also to a deeper jurisprudential understanding of hadith texts by connecting grammatical interpretation with legal and semantic implications. The study concluded that poetic evidence constituted an essential methodological tool in al-Banūrī’s commentary and reflected the close integration of Arabic linguistic sciences with hadith scholarship. It recommended further investigation into the use of poetic evidence in classical Islamic commentaries and greater scholarly attention to the role of Arabic grammar in enhancing the interpretation of religious texts and preserving the linguistic authenticity of Islamic intellectual heritage.

Corresponding Author:

saleem.muhammad@gmail.com    

Conflict of Interest:

The author(s) declare that there are no competing or potential conflicts of interest regarding the research, authorship, and publication of this article.

Participant Consent:

Not applicable. This study does not involve human participants.

Funding:

This research did not receive any specific grant from public, commercial, or non-profit funding agencies.

Data Fabrication/Falsification Statement:

The author(s) declare that no data have been fabricated, falsified, or manipulated in this study.

Copyright:

Copyright (c) 2026 Dr Hafiz Muhammad Saleem